A number of major airlines operating flights to and from theMiddle Easthave issued updates to travellers as the region is plunged into chaos byIran's missile attacks. Emirates, the world's largest long-haul airline, has announced it will operate a limited flight schedule until further notice as airspace in parts of the Middle East gradually reopen.
Elsewhere, Etihad's flight schedule is cancelled until the morning of March 6, with only a few select services operating on Thursday, subject to approval. Flydubai is resuming commercial flights on March 5, but some of its routes remain impacted by restricted airspace. Air Arabia flights to and from Dubai are suspended until March 9, while Qatar Airways said that "scheduled flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace". A further update is expected on Friday, March 6.
More than 100flightsare scheduled to depart from and return to Dubai on Thursday (March 5) and Friday, carrying essential cargo and passengers. Emirates, whose hub is based in theUAEcity, said the reduced schedule will prioritise customers with earlier bookings. "Emirates can confirm that it is currently operating areduced flight scheduleuntil further notice. This follows the partial reopening of regional airspace for the safe conduct of commercial flights,” a spokesperson said.
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The next plane to leave Dubai International Airport (DXB) is a Flydubai plane, Flight FZ1781, to Istanbul (IST), according to flight tracking data. It is due to depart at 5.20pm local time.
No flights from Dubai to the Uk are scheduled to depart for the remainder of today, with the Emirates EK5 toHeathrow Airporthaving already been cancelled.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows at least three aircraft flying above the Persian Gulf off the coast the UAE and Kuwait. All three Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker's departed Tel Aviv earlier today.
Data is patchy, however, due to GPS interference in the area.
Scottish tourist, Victoria Cameron, from Larkhall, who had been travelling home from New Zealand via Dubai when flights in the Middle East were grounded, has described the terror she witnessed among locals.
On Saturday (February 28), she was queuing to get into her hotel when the first Iranian missiles struck the city, and she first believed they were fireworks.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
